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Indg261
1. Health and Safety
Executive
Pressure systems
Safety and you
Introduction
If pressure equipment fails in use, it can seriously injure or kill people nearby and
cause serious damage to property. Each year in Great Britain, there are about 150
dangerous occurrences involving such unintentional releases. Around six of these
result in fatal or serious injury.
This leaflet advises you how to minimise the risks when working with systems or
equipment which contain a liquid or gas under pressure. It does not cover gas
cylinders (now called transportable pressure receptacles or transportable pressure
vessels), or tanks and tank containers.
Pressure
systems -
safety and you
As an employer or self-employed person, you have a duty to provide a safe
workplace and safe work equipment. Designers, manufacturers, suppliers,
This is a web-friendly version installers, users and owners also have duties. The main regulations covering
of leaflet INDG261(rev1), pressure equipment and pressure systems are the Pressure Equipment Regulations
published 05/01 1999 and the Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000. Employers have a
further duty to consult any safety or employee representatives on health and safety
matters. Where none are appointed, employers should consult the workforce direct.
Examples of pressure systems and equipment are:
■■ boilers and steam heating systems;
■■ pressurised process plant and piping;
■■ compressed air systems (fixed and portable);
■■ pressure cookers, autoclaves and retorts;
■■ heat exchangers and refrigeration plant;
■■ valves, steam traps and filters;
■■ pipework and hoses; and
■■ pressure gauges and level indicators.
Principal causes of incidents are:
■■ poor equipment and/or system design;
■■ poor maintenance of equipment;
■■ an unsafe system of work;
■■ operator error, poor training/supervision;
■■ poor installation; and
■■ inadequate repairs or modifications.
The main hazards are:
■■ impact from the blast of an explosion or release of compressed liquid or gas;
■■ impact from parts of equipment that fail or any flying debris;
■■ contact with the released liquid or gas, such as steam; and
■■ fire resulting from the escape of flammable liquids or gases.
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2. Health and Safety
Executive
Reduce the risk of failure
The level of risk from the failure of pressure systems and equipment depends on a
number of factors including:
■■ the pressure in the system;
■■ the type of liquid or gas and its properties;
■■ the suitability of the equipment and pipework that contains it;
■■ the age and condition of the equipment;
■■ the complexity and control of its operation;
■■ the prevailing conditions (eg a process carried out at high temperature); and
■■ the skills and knowledge of the people who design, manufacture, install,
maintain, test and operate the pressure equipment and systems.
To reduce the risks you need to know (and act on) some basic precautions, some
of which are contained in the Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000 and the
Pressure Equipment Regulations 1999.
Provide safe and suitable equipment
■■ When installing new equipment, ensure that it is suitable for its intended purpose
and that it is installed correctly. This requirement can normally be met by using
the appropriate design, construction and installation standards and/or codes of
practice. From 30 May 2002, most pressure equipment placed on the market
must meet the requirements of the Pressure Equipment Regulations 1999. For
pressure equipment not covered by the Pressure Equipment Regulations 1999,
the more general requirements of the Pressure Systems Safety Regulations
2000 apply.
■■ The pressure system should be designed and manufactured from suitable
materials. You should make sure that the vessel, pipes and valves have been
made of suitable materials for the liquids or gases they will contain.
■■ Ensure the system can be operated safely - without having to climb or struggle
through gaps in pipework or structures, for example.
■■ Be careful when repairing or modifying a pressure system. Following a major
repair and/or modification, you may need to have the whole system re-examined
before allowing the system to come back into use.
Know the operating conditions
■■ Know what liquid or gas is being contained, stored or processed (eg is it toxic/
flammable?).
■■ Know the process conditions, such as the pressures and temperatures.
■■ Know the safe operating limits of the system and any equipment directly linked
to it or affected by it.
■■ Ensure there is a set of operating instructions for all the equipment and for the
control of the whole system including emergencies.
■■ Ensure that appropriate employees have access to these instructions, and are
properly trained in the operation and use of the equipment or system (see the
section on training).
Fit suitable protective devices and ensure they function properly
■■ Ensure suitable protective devices are fitted to the vessels, or pipework (eg
safety valves and any electronic devices which cause shutdown when the
pressure, temperature or liquid or gas level exceed permissible limits).
■■ Ensure the protective devices have been adjusted to the correct settings.
■■ If warning devices are fitted, ensure they are noticeable, either by sight or sound.
■■ Ensure protective devices are kept in good working order at all times.
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3. Health and Safety
Executive
■■ Ensure that, where fitted, protective devices such as safety valves and bursting
discs discharge to a safe place.
■■ Ensure that, once set, protective devices cannot be altered except by an
authorised person.
Carry out suitable maintenance
■■ All pressure equipment and systems should be properly maintained. There
should be a maintenance programme for the system as a whole. It should take
into account the system and equipment age, its uses and the environment.
■■ Look for tell-tale signs of problems with the system, eg if a safety valve
repeatedly discharges, this could be an indication that either the system is
overpressurising or the safety valve is not working correctly.
■■ Look for signs of wear and corrosion.
■■ Systems should be depressurised before maintenance work is carried out.
■■ Ensure there is a safe system of work, so that maintenance work is carried out
properly and under suitable supervision.
Further guidance on regulation 11 (Operation) and regulation 12 (Maintenance) of
the Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000 is given in the Approved Code of
Practice Safety of pressure systems. (See ‘Further reading’.)
Make provision for appropriate training
Everybody operating, installing, maintaining, repairing, inspecting and testing
pressure equipment should have the necessary skills and knowledge to carry out
their job safely - so you need to provide suitable training. This includes all new
employees, who should have initial training and be supervised closely.
Additional training or retraining may be required if:
■■ the job changes;
■■ the equipment or operation changes; or
■■ skills have not been used for a while.
Have the equipment examined
Under the Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000, a written scheme of
examination is required for most pressure systems. Exempted systems are listed in
the Regulations. Generally speaking, only very small systems are exempted.
■■ The written scheme should be drawn up (or certified as suitable) by a competent
person. It is the duty of the user of an installed system and the owner of a
mobile system to ensure that the scheme has been drawn up. You must not
allow your pressure system to be operated (or hired out) until you have a written
scheme of examination and ensured that the system has been examined.
■■ The written scheme of examination must cover all protective devices. It must
also include every pressure vessel and those parts of pipelines and pipework
which, if they fail, may give rise to danger.
■■ The written scheme must specify the nature and frequency of examinations, and
include any special measures that may be needed to prepare a system for a
safe examination.
■■ The pressure system must be examined in accordance with the written scheme
by a competent person.
■■ For fired (heated) pressure systems, such as steam boilers, the written scheme
should include an examination of the system when it is cold and stripped down
and when it is running under normal conditions.
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4. Health and Safety
Executive
The key steps are:
■■ Decide what items of equipment and parts of the plant should be included in the
scheme. This must include all protective devices. It must also include pressure
vessels, and parts of pipework, which if they failed could give rise to danger.
■■ The scheme must be drawn up (or certified as suitable) by a competent person.
It must specify whether the examination is in-service or out-of service and how
often the system is to be examined.
■■ The system must be examined by a competent person in accordance with that
scheme.
Remember, an examination undertaken in accordance with a written scheme
of examination is like an MOT for your car. It is a statutory examination that is
designed to ensure that your pressure system is ‘roadworthy’. It is not a substitute
for regular and routine maintenance.
Choose a competent person
■■ You must assure yourself that the competent person has the necessary
knowledge, experience and independence to undertake the functions required
of them.
■■ The competent person carrying out examinations under a written scheme does
not necessarily need to be the same one who prepares or certifies the scheme
as suitable.
A competent person may be:
■■ a company’s own in-house inspection department;
■■ an individual person (eg, a self-employed person); or
■■ an organisation providing independent inspection services.
Bodies that have United Kingdom Accreditation Service accreditation to the British,
European and international standard BS EN ISO/IEC 17020: 2004, for the scope
of in-service inspection of pressure equipment, can provide competent persons
meeting the appropriate criteria.
The competent person undertaking an examination of a pressure system in
accordance with the written scheme of examination takes the responsibility for all
aspects of the examination. For example, on systems where ancillary examination
techniques (eg non-destructive testing) are undertaken, the competent person must
assume responsibility for the results of these tests and their interpretation even
though the tests may have been carried out by someone else.
Sources of advice
Professional advice is available from the following:
■■ Your local HSE office - the number can be obtained from directory enquiries or
the phone book - under Health and Safety Executive, or from the HSE website
www.hse.gov.uk.
■■ For premises covered by the local authority, eg offices and shops, contact the
Local Authority Unit enquiry point Tel: 020 7717 6442 Fax: 020 7717 6418.
■■ The United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) can advise on bodies that
have relevant accreditation for the provision of competent persons. They can be
contacted at: 21-47 High Street, Feltham, Middlesex TW13 4UN Tel: 020 8917
8400 Fax: 020 8917 8500 Website: www.ukas.com.
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